The present invention relates generally to a system for treating and recycling waste and wastewater, and more particularly to a system which separates blackwater and greywater at their respective sources, decomposes and converts the blackwater into water vapor and carbon dioxide gas, circulates, aerates, and separates the greywater into precipitated solid matter and treated water, and filters and disinfects the treated water to form recyclable and potable water.
Wastewater generated by a household is typically classified as either blackwater or greywater. Blackwater includes water and organic waste drained from toilets and garbage disposals. Greywater includes wastewater drained from bathtubs, showers, sinks, clothes washers, and dishwashers. Typically, blackwater and greywater are plumbed into one single wastewater stream and directed to a septic or sewage system. By combining blackwater and greywater into one single wastewater stream, however, the entire wastewater stream must be treated as blackwater. Because water pollution and water availability have become increasingly important both nationally and internationally, numerous attempts have been made to treat organic waste and wastewater to acceptable levels and standards for reuse. Such attempts, however, have not produced environmentally benign and safe-for-recycle end-products.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system which separates blackwater and greywater at their respective sources and treats these two wastewater streams individually within separate processing systems to ensure that organic waste and wastewater from both streams are converted into environmentally benign and safe-for-recycle end-products.
One aspect of the present invention provides a waste and wastewater treatment and recycling system including a waste separation system, a wastewater treatment system, and a filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system. The waste separation system includes a compost chamber, an air inlet, an exhaust outlet, and at least one waste inlet communicating with the compost chamber, at least one agitator positioned within the compost chamber below the at least one waste inlet, and at least one conveyor positioned within the compost chamber below the at least one agitator. The wastewater treatment system includes a surge chamber, an aeration chamber, and a clarification chamber communicating in-line and providing a gravity flow therethrough, a wastewater inlet communicating with the surge chamber, and a sludge removal system communicating with the compost chamber of the waste separation system and at least one of the surge, aeration, and clarification chambers. The filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system includes a holding chamber, a treated wastewater inlet communicating with the holding chamber and the clarification chamber of the wastewater treatment system, a filter array communicating with and in-line after the holding chamber, a disinfection system communicating with and in-line after the holding chamber, and a reservoir communicating with and in-line after the disinfection system. In one embodiment, a monitoring system is operatively associated with at least one of the waste separation system, the wastewater treatment system, and the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a monitoring system for a waste and wastewater treatment and recycling system. The monitoring system includes a plurality of sensors operatively associated with at least one of the waste separation system, the wastewater treatment system, and the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system, and a control unit operatively associated with the plurality of sensors. The control unit receives a plurality of input signals from the plurality of sensors, processes the input signals, and issues a plurality of command output signals to at least one of the waste separation system, the wastewater treatment system, and the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system.
In one embodiment, the waste separation system includes a compost chamber, and at least one of the plurality of sensors monitors at least one of a temperature in the compost chamber, a quantity of airflow through the compost chamber, and an amount of liquid collected within the compost chamber. In one embodiment, the wastewater treatment system includes a surge chamber, an aeration chamber, and a clarification chamber communicating in-line, and at least one of the plurality of sensors monitors at least one of a level of water within the surge, aeration, and clarification chambers, and a quantity of dissolved oxygen within the surge, aeration, and clarification chambers. In one embodiment, the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system includes a holding chamber, a filter array communicating with the holding chamber, a disinfection system communicating with the filter array, and a reservoir communicating with the disinfection system, and at least one of the plurality of sensors monitors at least one of a pressure of the filter array, operation of the disinfection system, and a level of water within at least one of the holding chamber and the reservoir.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a method of treating and recycling waste and wastewater including blackwater and greywater. The method includes the steps of transporting the blackwater to a waste separation system, decomposing the blackwater into water vapor and gas the waste separation system, transporting the greywater to a wastewater treatment system, circulating, aerating, and separating the greywater into precipitated solid matter and treated water within the wastewater treatment system, transferring the precipitated solid matter from the wastewater treatment system to the waste separation system, transferring the treated water from the wastewater treatment system to a filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system, and filtering and disinfecting the treated water within the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system to form recyclable water. In one embodiment, the method further includes the steps of transferring the recyclable water to a membrane filtration system, and passing the recyclable water through the membrane filtration system to form potable water. In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of passing the potable water through a filter array including at least one of a microfilter and a charcoal filter. In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of monitoring at least one of the waste separation system, the wastewater treatment system, and the filtration, disinfection, and water recycling system.